Lamar City Council approves overnight camping for vendors at Lamar Days car show

Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Tamez ran the February 24^th Lamar City Council meeting in the absence of Mayor Kirk Crespin.  Addressing Council during the public comment period of the meeting was Jenny Navarrette of the Domestic Safety Resource Center.   Because of the federal funding freezes enacted by President Trump, the Center is facing a financial crisis, as the grant money they rely on to provide services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault is not currently available.  Ms. Navarrette said they are reaching out to the communities they serve to explore any options that could help keep them open, but she estimates that if they don’t receive the funding within two months, they may be forced to close their doors.

City Administrator Rob Evans said that this week’s Coffee with Rob will be February 26 at Daylight Donuts.  The 2025 Annual Colorado Municipal League Conference will be held June 24-27 in Breckenridge. He asked that any Council members wishing to attend will need to speak to Mary Lewis at the city offices.  The next Common Grounds meeting will be March 5^th at 7:00 am at the Cultural Events Center and will feature the Building Department.  The annual Tri-State 911 Fundraiser is scheduled for March 22 from 6-9 pm at the Historic Cow Palace Inn.  The District 6SE Colorado Lions Convention will be held March 14-16.

Ron Cook spoke to Council asking them to approve overnight camping on May 16^th at Willow Creek Park for vendors at the Lamar Days 29^th Annual Rod Run and Car Show.  It was approved unanimously.  Council member Brent Bates had one suggestion for the event, that being increased police presence along the east side of the park where the food trailers park.  He said he had constituents express concern about cars speeding through the area and that the increased pedestrian traffic compounded the problem.  Rob Evans replied that with the police department being fully staffed that should not be a problem to provide.

Also approved was a security contract with the Sand and Sage Roundup Fair Board for the Wild West Cook-Off Contest, which is scheduled for April 25 and 26. Security will be provided by the Lamar Police Department utilizing an off-duty officer, who will be compensated at a rate of $45 per hour for a total of $360.00.  Two current members of the Lamar Tree Board, Judy Arnold and Dewey Norfleet, were re-appointed to three-year terms, which will expire March 1, 2028.  Two bids were awarded to Community State Bank, who had the lowest bid, for two Ford F250 trucks, one for use with the Street Department and the other for Equipment Maintenance.  An agreement with Chase JP Morgan for Merchant Services was approved.  It will be used to accept customer payments through the city’s new software provider, Tyler Inc.

The next City Council meeting will be Monday, March 10, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

By: Barbara Crimond